Activities for Grandmothers & Granddaughters

by
PATTI RICHARDS Last Updated: Apr 09, 2013

Patti Richards

Patti Richards has been a writer since 1990. She writes children’s books and articles on parenting, women's health and education. Her credits include San Diego Family Magazine, Metro Parent Magazine, Boys' Quest Magazine and many others. Richards has a Bachelor of Science in English/secondary education from Welch College.

Grandmothers and granddaughters can form special bonds through shared activities. Activities that focus on the likes, hobbies and talents of a grandmother and her granddaughter can help them form a special connection. Taking time to plan something special with your granddaughter on a regular basis can give both of you something to look forward to. Such activities will create special memories that will last a lifetime.

Young Granddaughters

Ohio State University Extension encourages grandparents to pursue their grandparenting role with a desire for having fun. Young granddaughters still love to play, and what better way to have fun than to dress up in grandmother’s clothes and fancy hats for a special tea party? Grandmothers can use these play times as teaching times to work on things like table manners, although the focus should be on having fun and making a connection. Make your tea party a one-on-one event that leaves plenty of room for talking. Your granddaughter may choose this time to ask questions about what it was like when you were a little girl. Enrich your party by letting your granddaughter help you make sandwiches and cookies in the kitchen before tea time.

Adolescent Granddaughters

Adolescent granddaughters can be very busy. Carolina Parent recommends scheduling a weekly or monthly date with your granddaughter in order to stay close during the teen years. Activities like shopping, getting manicures or going to a movie will give you and your teen granddaughter a shared experience that will promote quality conversations and create lasting memories. Dates with your granddaughter do not have to cost lots of time or money. A quick trip to the coffee or ice-cream shop after school will show your granddaughter that she is loved and valued by you.

Adult Granddaughters

According to Michigan State University Extension, since most people are becoming grandparents in their middle years, the role of a grandmother to a young-adult or adult granddaughter can last for 50 years or longer. During these years, it is important to find ways to spend time with your granddaughter that are meaningful to both of you. Remembering that your granddaughter is an adult will help you bond over shared interests. Reading the same books and talking about them over lunch, taking an art class together or planning times to cook together for holidays or special events will help you pass on the activities that you love to your granddaughter in ways that she can apply to her own life.

Emotional Connections

Whether you are the grandmother of a young child, adolescent or adult, activities that maintain strong emotional connections are important. According to Michigan State University Extension, adult granddaughters place a special value on a relationship with their grandmother that is intimate and unique as compared to relationships with siblings or parents. Marking special events with your granddaughter that acknowledges her reaching certain milestones will help keep you a part of her ever-changing life. A special gift when she graduates from elementary school or high school, a trip or tickets to a special event when she becomes a teenager or turns 21, or the passing on of an heirloom when she marries or has her first child can further deepen your emotional connection to your granddaughter.

Related Searches

Lose Weight. Feel Great
Change your life with MyPlate by LIVESTRONG.COM